Standard Poker Chips Values and Colors Along with those playing cards, poker chips are a huge part of any game. 🌝 Chips of varying colours can represent money in a cash game. They also use certain values during tournaments. It’s something 🌝 most players take for granted. Players simply buy in and take a seat at the table. They start riffling those 🌝 poker chips as they wait to get dealt in on the next hand. Let’s go into depth about the various 🌝 colours, values and denominations of poker chips across the globe.
Table of Contents
Common Poker Chip Values and Colours
White -R$1
Red -R$5
Orange -R$10
Yellow 🌝 -R$20
Green -R$25
Black -R$100
Purple -R$500
Maroon -R$1,000
Tournament chip value and colours may differ. It’s essential to note that most tournament chips do 🌝 not represent actual dollar values. These are merely amounts used throughout the tournament. Players start with a certain amount and 🌝 hope to increase that as blind levels increase.
Blind levels are increased throughout a tournament so there is more action. This 🌝 way players begin to get eliminated. Some tournaments may allow re-entries and players can receive another starting stack.
As players progress 🌝 through the tournament, lower value chip may be “coloured off”. More coloured chips with larger denominations are worked into the 🌝 tournament.
The goal is to accumulate all the chips in play and ultimately you have them all – meaning you’ve won 🌝 the tournament. Here’s a look at some examples for tournament values. Notice that these do not represent any actual monetary 🌝 values. So standard symbols for dollars, pounds, or euros aren’t used.
Poker Chip Values in Tournaments and Cash Games
Players and casinos 🌝 have long used chips to represent cash and make it easier to wager. A player’s chips are his weapons. They 🌝 vary in colour and denomination based on the stakes involved or level in a tournament.
For example, here’s a look at 🌝 chip values one might find in cash game in a Las Vegas Strip property:
Poker Chip Values and Colours in Poker 🌝 Tournaments
White - 25
Red - 50
Orange - 100
Yellow - 500
Green - 1,000
Black - 5,000
Purple - 10,000
The Basics of Poker Chip Values 🌝 and Colors Like cash games, tournament chips are coloured to represent different values. Players begin with a standard number of 🌝 chips. They hope to build them up throughout the tournament.
Those small-coloured markers come in numerous colours and weights. Players use 🌝 them in home games, cash games, and major tournaments around the world.
Want to know the history of this critical part 🌝 of the game? Need some ideas for some chip-shopping for your home poker room? 888poker Magazine has you covered with 🌝 everything you might ever want to know about those multi-coloured markers.
In poker, the value of a chip depends on the 🌝 game or event. Values in cash games are a direct representation of cash. Players in aR$1/$2 No Limit Hold’em game 🌝 who buy in forR$300 will receive that amount in chip value.
Colours vary by casino but tend to follow similar patterns 🌝 at least for lower values.
There is no certain casino standard. Although white and red tend to beR$1 andR$5 amounts. Denominations 🌝 can also go higher for players in some real high-stakes action.
For higher denominations, some properties like the Borgata also have 🌝 larger sized chips. These sizes include aR$500 (purple/yellow) andR$1,000 (orange/black).
The larger sizes make it difficult to confuse such a high 🌝 value chip with others in a game with such higher stakes. This may not be the case at every property.
For 🌝 an example of a high-stakes cash game, check out PokerGO’s popular Poker After Dark. The show is filmed at the 🌝 PokerGO Studio at the Aria Resort and Casino. It has featured some of the game’s biggest names. It also showcases 🌝 celebrities who enjoy mixing it up at the felt.
Massive pots have been a major part of the action over the 🌝 last few years. Buy-ins and chip stacks can vary. Here is a look at chip values from an episode that 🌝 streamed in December 2024.
The event was a Sit and Go tournament with players starting with 125,000 in tournament chips.
These are 🌝 the actual Aria tournament chips used in the event, with four different colours and values used to get the event 🌝 started.
Aria High Stakes Four Different Chip Values/Colours
Determining Chip Values and Stack Sizes in a Home Game If you’re looking at 🌝 hosting a home game with friends, there are a few things to keep in mind. It’s crucial to figure out 🌝 your tournament structure or cash game chip values.
For a cash game, working this out is much easier. A simpleR$1-2 No 🌝 Limit Hold’em game with six to eight players should be fairly easy. One might decide to make white chips worthR$1 🌝 and red chips worthR$2.
A player buying in forR$100 might receive:
Color Value Number of Chips WhiteR$1 10 ($10) RedR$5 4 ($20) 🌝 BlueR$10 1 ($10)
Say your stakes are a little larger and you’re hosting aR$2-5 No Limit Hold’em game with the same 🌝 number of players. A similar guide can be crafted from the above. Most players will typically buy in a game 🌝 for 50 to 200 big blinds.
Players usually need more denominations equal to the big blind as that is what they 🌝 play the most.
If you decide to raise the stakes, you may need more chip denominations. In a bigger game such 🌝 asR$5-10, a player buying in forR$1,000 (100 big blinds) might receive the following:
Color Value Number of Chips RedR$5 10 ($50) 🌝 BlueR$10 10 ($100) GreenR$25 10 ($250) BlackR$100 6 ($600)
Poker game organizers need to determine how many chips might be needed, 🌝 with several of each denomination. Having a few denominations make calling and raising in different values much easier.
Those hosting a 🌝 tournament will also want to make sure ahead of time -
They have enough chips
Determine the value of those chips
Number of 🌝 chips per player
Chip colours
A small tournament of less than 40 people will generally need only four or five colours. A 🌝 tournament starting with 1,500 chips will find players starting with 60 big blinds. They’ll begin with Level 1 blinds of 🌝 25/25 before advancing to 25/50 and then 50/100. Obviously, blind levels may depend on the tournament.
Here’s a look at an 🌝 example number of tournaments that players might start with in the above scenario.
Color Value Number of Chips White 25 10 🌝 (250) Red 50 5 (250) Blue 100 5 (500) Black 500 1 (500)
These starting stacks and chip values can be 🌝 adjusted as needed, but this works well as a guide. Obviously, colours can also vary in both cash games and 🌝 tournaments depending on the chip values.
A Look at Major Tournament Chip Values Like cash games, tournament chips are coloured to 🌝 represent different values. Players begin with a standard number of chips. They hope to increase those chips throughout the tournament.
Increasing 🌝 blinds and antes require the addition of larger chip values. Smaller valued chips are coloured up and taken out of 🌝 play.
The World Series of Poker can serve as an example of tournament colours and values. The annual event is the 🌝 biggest spectacle in poker. It has several tournaments running on any given day during the series.
The action is highlighted by 🌝 theR$10,000 Main Event, featured on television around the world. Because of so many events, organizers use at least five different 🌝 chip sets.
In general, most WSOP tournaments begin with green (25) and black (100). They switch up colours above those values 🌝 for different events. For the Main Event, there has been a standard set of colours for the last several years.
Here’s 🌝 a look at those chips with accent colours:
25 – green with forest green/yellow
100 – black with day blue/dark blue
500 – 🌝 desert flower with maroon/pink
1000 – canary yellow with plum/sherbet orange
5000 – blaze orange with dark brown/tan
25,000 – forest green with 🌝 blue/yellow
50,000 – hot pink with lime green/dark green (rarely used anymore)
100,000 – Hawaii flower with charcoal/metallic silver
250,000 – almond with 🌝 bronze/butterscotch
500,000 – red with day blue/white
These values can also change, however. The WSOP has been known to alter them at 🌝 the final table when filming for television. Here’s an example of the number of chips involved in an event of 🌝 this size.
In 2024, it was Illinois’ John Cyn who took home the championship gold bracelet. He also walked away withR$8.5 🌝 million after capturing all 393.8 million chips in play. It was a mountain of chips and a mountain of cash.
On 🌝 the World Poker Tour, players usually start with 40,000 chips in most events. As an example, the Gardens Casino (located 🌝 just outside Los Angeles) hosts two events each season –
TheR$10,000 Gardens Poker Championship in January TheR$5,000 Gardens Poker Festival in 🌝 July
A player buying into either of those events can expect to receive the following breakdown of chips:
Color Value Number of 🌝 Chips Black and blue 100 10 Cotton candy (light blue and dark pink) 500 8 S'mores (brown and white) 1,000 🌝 5 Lemonade (light pink and yellow) 5,000 5
Here’s a look at the actual chips one would receive to start a 🌝 WPT Championship event at the Gardens:
Poker Chip Colors in Europe and U.S. Much of the above focuses on Las Vegas 🌝 and other American casinos. Most U.S. casinos follow similar patterns as Vegas. They use multi-coloured chips for tournaments and cash 🌝 games. They differentiate them for security. Most are pretty similar. That's true for casino-heavy states like California, Florida, Nevada, New 🌝 Jersey, and others.
In Europe, where poker continues to thrive, poker chips follow rules similar to those in the U.S. However, 🌝 many properties also work in coloured “plaques” for larger denominations. These rectangular objects are the same as chips. They often 🌝 appear in the later stages of major tournaments.
The plaques are probably unfamiliar to most lowerstakes players. But many feature unique 🌝 colours and designs. They stand out among a player’s chip stack and vary a bit in size. Players looking to 🌝 add some pizzazz to their home games can find them for sale online.
Chips can be distinctive and feature logos. They 🌝 can also celebrate significant events or people. Binion’s Horseshoe is the birthplace of the World Series of Poker.
At one time, 🌝 they honoured poker legends at the property as seen in this Tweet.
Binion’s Horseshoe Is the Birthplace of The WSOP
Chips remain 🌝 an essential part of poker. They represent money on the line as players bet and bluff with them. They’re a 🌝 big part of what sets poker apart from other games. As this guide shows, there are undoubtedly many considerations that 🌝 go into using them.
Poker Chips - FAQ What are poker chip values?
Poker cash games and tournaments use chips to mean 🌝 specific amounts. In a cash game, differing colours represent actual cash values. Poker chips are much easier to play with 🌝 than actual cash.
You can be move them around a table easily, unlike cash. They are perfect for exchanging when making 🌝 change quickly. In a tournament, chips don’t represent the actual cash amount that a player uses to buy in a 🌝 tournament.
Instead, these are used for starting stacks. As a tournament progresses, blind levels escalate. Players must then play higher chip 🌝 values. Poker chips offer an easy way to signify and play these escalating values.
The goal is to keep collecting those 🌝 chips and see your own stack rise.
Why do poker players use chips, and what do the colours mean?
Chips represent a 🌝 cash value or a tournament chip value. Players use chips to bet during a game or tournament. The goal is 🌝 obviously to accumulate as many as possible.
In a cash game, that means bigger winnings that can be cashed out when 🌝 a player decides to leave. In a tournament, a player’s starting stack of chips does not have to represent his 🌝 entry fee.
However, chips are a player's life blood in a tournament – lose them and you’re eliminated.
A player who wins 🌝 a tournament will have collected all the chips in play at the end.
How many chips does a person get in 🌝 a tournament?
In a tournament, a player will receive the same amount of chips as all other players. That stack is 🌝 the key to surviving the tournament.
For example, a player in the World Poker Tour Five Diamond Poker Classic at the 🌝 Bellagio in Las Vegas will spendR$10,000 for the entry fee. However, all players start with 40,000 chips. The trend in 🌝 poker in recent years has been for more chips, allowing for longer play.
With blinds starting at a tiny 100/100, players 🌝 have a huge stack in relation to the blinds. This offers players much more play for their money. The number 🌝 of chips can also be considered arbitrary.
But tournament officials have worked to meet player demand for bigger starting stacks.
How many 🌝 chips should a player get in a cash game?
In a cash game, a player’s chip stack is directly representative of 🌝 the starting stack. As you win or lose, that stack can grow or decrease. For aR$1/$2 No Limit Hold’em cash 🌝 game, a player might buy into the game forR$200. That would be about 100 times the big blind.
That player’s chips 🌝 would represent the actual cash value of thatR$200. If that player losesR$20 in chips that night, he will cash out 🌝 forR$180.
A player having a good night and winningR$50 worth of chips would cash out for a niceR$250.
How many chips does 🌝 a player get at the World Series of Poker?
The answer to this depends on the event. With buy-ins ranging fromR$500 🌝 to six figures, players will find larger starting stacks for the high buy-in and more prestigious events.
Players in 2024’s Big 🌝 50 started with 50,000 chips of varying colours and values. Blinds started at 100/200 and a 200 big blind ante. 🌝 This setup gave players a starting stack of 250 big blinds.
The special 50th Annual High Roller event offered players a 🌝 300,000-chip starting stack. The blinds started at 1,000/1,000 and a big blind ante of 1,000. This gives players a stack 🌝 worth 300 big blinds. Generally, the higher the buy-in, the more chips a player gets.
What are the different types of 🌝 poker chips?
When buying chips there are generally four types of poker chips. A few are more prevalent than others.
Plastic chips 🌝 are made cheaply and not a solid option for anyone looking to play some serious poker.
chips are made cheaply and 🌝 not a solid option for anyone looking to play some serious poker. Composite clay chips are exceedingly popular and fairly 🌝 inexpensive. They are easy to find and can be perfect for a night of poker with friends.
chips are exceedingly popular 🌝 and fairly inexpensive. They are easy to find and can be perfect for a night of poker with friends. Composite 🌝 chips have a solid feel and are easy to slide across a poker felt.
chips have a solid feel and are 🌝 easy to slide across a poker felt. Ceramic chips are of an even a higher quality and smooth to the 🌝 touch. These chips are also more easily customised for your own individual graphics.
chips are of an even a higher quality 🌝 and smooth to the touch. These chips are also more easily customised for your own individual graphics. Lastly, metal, or 🌝 pewter chips are rare, but can make for a unique set for a home game. This style of chip is 🌝 durable and can give your game a real feeling of the Old West.
See here our web story about standard poker 🌝 chips.
